Brabant 1576(h) 1/5 ecu
This specimen was lot 1076 in Jean Elsen sale 153 (Brussels, December 2022), where it sold for €140 (about US$177 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BRABANT, Duché, Philippe II (1555-1598), AR cinquième d'écu Philippe, 1576, Anvers. D/ B. cuir. à d. R/ Ecu couronné sur une croix de Bourgogne, entre deux briquets, portant le bijou de la Toison d'or. Craquelures du flan. Belle patine. Très Beau. (duchy of Brabant, Philip II, 1555-98, fifth écu Philippe of 1576, Antwerp mint. Obverse: armored bust right; reverse: crowned arms over a Burgundian cross, between two firesteels bearing the jewels of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Flan cracks, nice patina, Very Fine.)"
The hand below the king's bust on the obverse is the Antwerp mintmark. This coin was part of an early attempt to issue decimal coinage.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 6.85 g, 0.833 fine silver, 30 mm diameter, this specimen 6,86 g.
Catalog reference: G.H. 212-1b; W. 722; V.H. 306.
- Roberts, James N., The Silver Coins of Medieval France (476-1610 AD), S. Salem, NY: Attic Books, 1996.
- van Gelder, H. Enno, and Marcel Hoc, Les Monnaies des pays-Bas Bourguignons et Espagnols, 1434-1713, Amsterdam, J. Schulman, 1960, with supplement of 1964.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 153, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2022.
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